The flu and cold season is underway and this year pseudoephedrine is back on New Zealand chemists' shelves, sparking concern from a pharmacist about the "strong" medicine and safety risk to staff.
The decongestant drug was reclassified as a class B drug and banned from being sold over the counter in 2011. The move was aimed at choking domestic methamphetamine production, which pseudoephedrine was a key ingredient of.
However, in February Associate Health Minister David Seymour argued Kiwis were being "denied decent cold and flu medication, but the gangs are selling more methamphetamine than ever".
"Pseudoephedrine was banned because of fears it would be used for methamphetamine production," said Seymour, who as ACT Party leader campaigned on the reversal of the ban.
"The reality is that the gangs have far more effective ways of obtaining pseudoephedrine to manufacture methamphetamine and we should tackle these head on instead."
But how much easier is it really to get the medicine since this reversal?
AM host Lloyd Burr, on sick leave with a cold, was denied getting pseudoephedrine on Sunday. He was told he needed to have symptoms for five days to be eligible for the medicine.
Pharmacist Sam Tibshraeny, from Westmere Pharmac, told AM on Monday she's not sure why Burr couldn't get the drug.
But she added that it was the first week pseudoephedrine's been back on shelves so pharmacies were in the process of figuring out how to stock it.
"Our main concern is just safety for our staff," she said.
"We're just weary of why it was banned those years ago and to make sure that we aren't at risk of anyone that is drug seeking.
"We're assured that the drug landscape has changed since then so the risk probably is much lower than it used to be but it is still a consideration as to people who might be seeking it for alternative purposes."
Tibshraeny said pharmacists' main consideration was getting the right medicines to the right people, like with every medicine they distribute.
That involves a comprehensive consultation to figure out, for example, if the patient has any other medical conditions or medicines they're on.
Tibshraeny explained how pseudoephedrine increases blood pressure and heart rate so won't be suitable for some people.
She also said it can interact with some antidepressants or other prescribed medicines.
"We want to make sure that you're not going to go home, take this medicine for your cold that could be relatively minor, and then end up with a major problem like interfering with your heart medicine or interfering with your mental health.
"It's important for people if they come in and they have the time, they take the time to have an honest and open conversation with their pharmacist about their medical conditions, about their medicines, because it's not just a harmless medicine - it is relatively strong so for some people it's not going to be appropriate."
When asked about her stance on the ban, Tibshraeny said it was a tricky question to answer, but said it was a good tool in the toolkit for those who are "really congested".
"It does come with downsides though," she said.
"I think they've done it in a good way making it pharmacist-only because we don't want everyone just buying it without these considerations.
"The other thing we need to make people aware of is that it is a stimulant, it's going to make you feel better and give you some energy - you don't want to go home, get this false sense of feeling well and then you're at home but you're actually reorganising your pantry and redecorating your house. You're not going to get better any quicker if you do that, nor if you go off to work and then continue to go make your whole office sick."
